In general, inkjet printing machines or printers include a device that removes materials from an image forming surface. In previously known aqueous printers, the cleaning device includes a foam roller followed by a separate squeegee blade to remove ink from a thin skin layer on the surface. However, a portion of the water accumulates in front of these cleaning devices when the squeegee blade is retracted. The accumulated water remains on the image forming surface after the squeegee blade is retracted.
Some previously known printers employ techniques, such as changing the angle of the squeegee blade, to reduce the amount of water remaining on the surface. However, because the skin on the surface of certain aqueous printers contains a surfactant, the water accumulating in front of the squeegee blade can become contaminated and its wetting properties can change. This contamination can reduce the effectiveness of changing the angle of the blade. Other previously known printers implement techniques, such as increasing the amount of time between retraction of the foam roller and the retraction of the squeegee blade, to allow for more time for the water bead in front of the squeegee blade to drain down the squeegee blade after input of water from the foam roller has stopped. However, water still remains on the surface after the squeegee blade is retracted. Furthermore, changes in the cleaning device orientation relative to gravity have similar effects on the accumulations of water in front of the squeegee blade.
In other previously known printers, the cleaning device includes a foam roller to apply oil to a surface and a wiper blade to meter the oil to a desired thickness. The wiper blade accumulates a bead of oil in front of the blade. When the blade is retracted, the oil bead remains and produces a band or bar on prints. Previously known printers are unable to eliminate the released oil bead. As such, some previously known printers employ techniques to minimize the amount of oil released and constrain the process by retracting the blade at a position that enables the oil bar to be positioned in a non-imaging area for minimum print quality degradation. However, this constraint in the process has an impact on productivity, especially with changes in media size. As such, improvements in inkjet printers that enable cleaning of the imaging surface are desirable.